For those who missed it, or were disappointed that the issue was sold out…GOOD NEWS!!I have received another shipment of the Marvel Variant STAR WARS books and have a few more to sell.

Here’s the spiel again!

This is the variant produced by M&M Comics and limited to 3000. This number makes it one of the scarcest variants on the market.(And a personal thanks goes out to Mike at M&M for having me paint this cover!)

I am now selling my variant cover issue for $25 including postage and insurance.

BUT WAIT!!!…There’s more! You not only get a mint copy of this book signed by me, (bagged and boarded), but I will also include in your package one additional item from my personal vault of collectibles.These will be all Star Wars items (signed of course) that may include convention programs, signature cards, trading cards, bookmarks, or other collectibles from my files, dating back almost 30 years. Most of these extras are hard to find and will make a fun addition to your Dorman Star Wars collection (like a mini-Dorman LootCrate!)

I have a very limited number of these so please do not hesitate in ordering. I must limit the purchase to one copy per person. I will remove the page when I have sold out. (It is possible I may get more in the future, but that is not guaranteed).

SHOW APPEARANCE NEWS:

Thanks to all of you who saw me at Pensacon – a wonderful show! Coming up, I’ll be in South Carolina for SC Con in Greenville, SC March 20th weekend, Big Wow Con in San Jose in April 18 and 19 (and happy to see Jim Steranko there again).C2E2 in Chicago April 24 – 26, joined by the team from Artifact, creators of a fun new game for which I’m doing the art that launches at C2E2. Watch for more info on that!

I have finally gotten around to organizing the sale for my Marvel Star Wars #1 Variant. I have been pretty busy this past few weeks, including painting a new variant cover for Marvel’s Darth Vader #2! This #1 Variant is the variant produced by M&M Comics and limited to 3000. This number makes it one of the scarcest variants on the market. (And a personal thanks goes out to Mike at M&M for having me paint this cover!)

I am now selling my variant cover issue for $25 including postage and insurance.

BUT WAIT!!!…There’s more! You not only get a mint copy of this book signed by me, (bagged and boarded), but I will also include in your package one additional item from my personal vault of collectibles.These will be all Star Wars items (signed of course) that may include convention programs, signature cards, trading cards, bookmarks, or other collectibles from my files, dating back almost 30 years. Most of these extras are hard to find and will make a fun addition to your Dorman Star Wars collection (like a mini-Dorman LootCrate!)

I have a very limited number of these so please do not hesitate in ordering. I must limit the purchase to one copy per person. I will remove the page when I have sold out. (It is possible I may get more in the future, but that is not guaranteed).

It’s great to be back doing more Star Wars covers! I look forward to creating more great art for Marvel. Thank you all for following me as we move into a new era of Star Wars!

I’d like to take a moment to clear up some misconceptions and explain my thoughts on creating my painting “Lord Vader’s Persuasion…” The main reason for creating this piece was to show Vader leading his troops into battle. I wanted to actually show him in the midst of his beloved 501st Squad, being the leader he was born to be. This was not a scene we were able to see in the films themselves, and obviously, it would be a scene taking place between Episodes 3 and 4. This art has caught the imagination of Star Wars fans around the world, and has inspired me to create other scenes capturing potential story elements that were not in the screenplays, but are part of the canon of the Star Wars history.

The two most confusing elements of Lord Vader’s Persuasion are the inclusion of the Imperial Guards (the red armored figures surrounding Vader) and the fact that Vader is rising above the squad. The Imperial Guards were introduced in Episode 6 as visual elements in the background, in scenes featuring the Emperor and Lord Vader. They are not exclusively the Emperor’s private, but the elite of the Imperial forces used to protect those of the highest power. So the Imperial Guard would certainly be on hand to protect a high value target such as Vader during an invasion operation. Vader’s loyal 501st troops form a phalanx around them, always pushing forward towards Victory!

Why is Vader above the troops? He is not on a hoverboard, nor is he standing on a trooper’s shoulders! We know from the end of Episode 3 that Anakin/Vader is fearless in carrying out the Emperor’s order. Why would Vader not be fearless in leading his Troops into battle? Like any commander worthy of his troops’ respect, he will join them in battle. And as a powerful leading figure, he will not hide behind his troops, but will be where they can see him and be inspired by him. During the course of the battle, Vader uses the FORCE to levitate himself above the fray, leading and directing his troops ever forward, knowing he will become the primary target of his opponents. He is unafraid because he uses the power of The Force for protection.

I have also taken an artistic license and compacted the field of battle so that I could show a few other elements that would be involved in this type of skirmish. The officers and scouts to the far left would not so close to the battlefield in a real situation, and the ATAT/ATSTs would not be so packed together. But the art I wanted to create would show the full impact of all elements of the Imperial Forces, so I pulled a few visual tricks out of my creative hat.

Aesthetic Placement of Elements in the Art: Speaking artistically about the art, there are reasons I put elements where they are in the art. As you can see, there is an explanation for what is the battle scene from a “warfare” point of view. But to paint what I wanted, I had to have both an “Artistic” reason and a “Realism” reason. When laying out the the art, the first thing I noticed artistically was that the piece was primarily black and white. Black and greys in the Vader figure and white and greys in the trooper armor. I found working the Imperial guard into the piece not only added a focusing element, to bring your eye towards the main element–Vader–but also added that bold stroke of color I needed. That red would eventually tie in with the red of Vader’s lightsaber and the red/oranges of the explosions in the background. With that element of red, it was no longer necessary to add another bold statement of color, because the contrast of the dark figure of Vader made him the focus against the whites and the greys of the rest of the piece.

One Last Visual Element to Note: There is one last visual element that you may not see right off, but if you look closely at the art and let your eye roam, you will probably focus on Vader first, then follow the line of his arm and hand deflecting the blasterbolt. Your eye will follow the red of the ATAT explosion and smoke back over Vader, then follow the path of his Lightsaber back down to the far left of the art, now seeing the Officers and Scouts. As your eye follows where they are looking, it catches the front-most Stormtrooper with his arm raised, pointing the troopers forward. We follow that line through the bottom of the art into the field of troopers. From here, the curve upward of the red and blue blasterbolts brings the eye back up to the exploding ATAT in the background and then right back to Vader.

There was much more that went into this piece and the contribution of the 501st MidwestGarrison in helping me shoot reference for this cannot be overstated. But this should help you understand a bit of what is going through my head when creating a piece of art.

A special thanks to Jesus Diaz of the SPLOID column for Gizmodowho wrote this piece today about my Star Wars art (including Lord Vader’s Persuasion):

I have a number of pencil pieces of art I am selling this time around. I did these pieces for myself to do more pencil work and practice texture and detailing. These are all listed on this webpage with the sizes and prices. There is a Paypal button for each as well. These are one-of-a-kind pieces of art, so if you see something you like, don’t hesitate too long– it may be gone when you return. Thanks so much for looking and for your continued support of my work. Thank you also, to those of you who have sent your condolences on the passing of my wife Denise’s dad.

My Star Wars Marvel Comics variant cover for M&M Comics came in the mail today, so here’s my first look at it:

My New Star Wars variant cover for Marvel/retailer M&M Comics

If you’re not one of the 5k people already following me on my personal Facebook page, you might enjoy seeing my new “Art Director” as Denise calls her – our newest addition to the family, Jonesy the Cat. Yes, she is a Sphinx/Hairless Cat, to accommodate the allergy sufferers in our household (not me).

Me and my new “Art Director.”

And speaking of science fiction-related stuff, I’ve been chatting with Facebook friends about how excited I am to see Philip K. Dick’s “The Man in the High Castle,” which is available online now, I believe, for free. It imagines what life would be like if the Nazis had been successful in overtaking the U.S. After I read it, I was unhappy with the book cover because it didn’t really represent what the book was about, so back in the 1980s, I painted this one:

My 1980s painting inspired by Philip K. Dick

Dave Dorman Official 2015 Appearance Schedule (So Far):

January 29 – 31 = Salt Lake City Con

February 21 – 22 = I’m teaching a class at the International School of Comics in Chicago

Also, I should mention that Denise and I are mentioned (with some of my art) in the new issue of Imagine F/X magazine for January 2015, if you happen to pick it up. And here is a link to pick up my WASTED LANDS OMNIBUS, published by Magnetic Press, if you are interested in dystopian action adventure in another world similar to ours – it’s my creator-owned I.P. and my favorite thing I’ve ever worked on, which is saying a lot!

For those that responded to my last blog and Facebook posting, I appreciate your kind words and support. While it was disheartening to get that news, it will not be my last opportunity to create new Star Wars art. Keep your bookmarks here for coming news of more projects ahead!

As most of you know by now, I will not be attending SW Celebration 7 next year. I had planned on having a sale at Celebration of what was left of my Artist Proofs of previous year’s Celebration prints, along with the new exclusive print. Since that isn’t happening, and I’ve had a lot of fans and collectors asking if I was going to have a Holiday Print Sale this year, I’ve decided to hold it now. Here is the link to my Star Wars Holiday Prints Sale:

Each print on the webpage has a PayPal button for ordering and if you want to buy more than one it will make a shopping cart for you. **Shipping is FREEworldwide.**

I am now offering the last of my Artist Proofs at a substantial discount for a limited time (I will take this sale down on Dec. 31st, so those who have gift funds after the holidays that they would like to spend here may do so before the sale ends.)

All Star Wars Dave Dorman Prints You Purchase Will Be:

Signed By Me

Marked an an A/P (Artist’s Proof).

I will be happy to personalize the prints for you as well. (You can leave a note on the Paypal purchase form).

Extra Bonus–As a thank you for all your support over the years, I will add small remarque (original pencil drawing) on every print that is ordered at no extra charge.

Sent out using Paypal’s shipping, which will include a notification to you of when your order shipped and a tracking number to follow your shipment.

All orders in the U.S. made before Dec. 19 will get to you before Christmas.

I only have a limited number of these prints left, and this sale may be thelast time some or most of these will be available.

AND A RARE FIND: I also have one more newly discovered print from my private collection to offer for the first time on my webpage. This is “Knockin on Jabba’s Door” — a small 11×14 print produced as an incentive for purchasing the now out-of-print “Jabba’s Palace ” print.

So go ahead and check out the page. I hope you find something you like that might brightens your holidays, birthday, or special occasion, or those of your loved ones.

Thank you again for all of your support of my work over the years. Every smile and handshake at a show, or email or private message on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter unexpectedly saying you like my work, makes my enjoyment of this work grow more and more.

As always, my own I.P., the WASTED LANDS OMNIBUS book (published by Magnetic-Press) special gift offer is still available, and that link is here:

Me at Discovery Museum Last Year Lecturing On How I Create STAR WARS Art

This next weekend on Saturday October 4th from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.,I will be appearing at the Discovery World Museum in Milwaukee for STAR WARS DAY. Last year it was an amazing event supported by the 501st Legion of Star Wars Cosplayers (of which Denise and I are honorary members) and I know it will be again this year. I will be doing two presentations, explaining my approach to creating my STAR WARS art in the theater there, and I hope you can attend one if you’re there. (No, Denise will not be with me this year – she has client obligations in Northwest Florida).

I want to thank all of you out there who stepped up and supported Denise and me this past week during the whole crazy online controversy. You who respectfully spoke up mean a lot to us both. A lot of good came out of this controversy. It ignited back channel conversations between me and my colleagues, me and Con organizers, and of course, the meaningful viewpoints from you, the fans. If you’re scratching your heads with no idea what I’m referencing, here’s a link to Denise’s interview with Comic Vine journalist Mat Elfring, which ended up on Yahoo! News:

Only a few writers showed true journalistic integrity and research this past week, and I applaud those who did. Rob Salkowitz of iCv2, Mat Elfring of Comic Vine and HeidiMcDonald of The Beat are three that come to mind. I also appreciated the talented Gail Simone’s professionalism in her mea culpa, and her willingness to revisit the real story. In the end, I worry for the future of social media, the future of journalism, and I worry for the future of many readers out there who seem blinded to critical thinking. As our close friend, sometimes business partner and fellow artist Charlie Athanas said, “Oh, hive mind. We should all watch Forbidden Planet and learn that this collective id thing can be really dangerous. Then shut down our computers and go have a drink with some friends.” Well said, Charlie. Denise plans to share the best ideas and suggestions she’s received about how we as creatives and exhibitors can improve sales and our Con experiences from the many who commented on her blog, ComicBookWife.com, so watch for that.

On Wednesday Denise and I will be guests of Chicago comics advocate and podcaster Wendi Freeman and her podcast Double Page Spread. I will post a link here when it’s up, but here’s a link to Wendi’s past podcasts – check them out:

Many of you know I’m a big #MMO#SWTOR gamer. I did a really fun Ootinicast Twitch TV interview this week about my Star Wars: The Old Republic gaming and my STAR WARS art with co-host Ander (aka Redna), so here is a link to that interview for you: